Submission – Cherie Feather

Related Works: In this book, Kiki Dion is friends with Mandy Cooper and Amber Pontiero.

The Art of Desire – story of Mandy Cooper and Jared

Submission – story of Ethan Tierney and Kiki Dion

?? – story of Amber Pontiero and Jay and Luke ?? – not published yet

Description from book:

Come again.

Ethan Tierney is infamous in the art world – not only for his shocking S/M paintings, but for his reputation in the art of seduction – and he’s found a perfect new subject in Santa Fe art historian Kiki Dion. No artist ever stimulated Kiki’s imagination more than Ethan, tapping into her kinkiest fantasies. Now, behind the closed doors of Curtis House, his sprawling historic estate, he’s making those fantasies come true. And with master strokes, the pair is bringing something else to life as well.

And again.

A century ago, the late occupant of Curtis House recorded the details of her consuming affair in a series of explicit letters – and unabashed correspondence that has become Kiki and Ethan’s erotic obsession. But the ghosts of the woman and her lover are not at rest. They’ve been aroused to bring closure to a sensual mystery of the past, to take possession of the warm and willing bodies of Kiki and Ethan, and to teach them the true meaning of undying ecstasy.

My Thoughts:

I rarely find new books to read from others’ book reviews. However, I discovered this book via CeCe Johns’ review on Romance Reviews Today. I was immediately intrigued by the plot. I am a fan of erotic fiction with BDSM elements – and this book seemed to fit into that category. I was also interested in the sub plot involving lovers from the past. While I admit that CeCe Johns’ caution that this books wasn’t for the faint of heart did give me pause, I ultimately couldn’t resist buying this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Kiki and Ethan have just met – and are embarking on a relationship involving BDSM. Ethan is a rather jaded S/M artist who simply assumes that Kiki will become his latest play thing. Kiki, meanwhile, is an independent woman who doesn’t appear to have had any serious interest in BDSM. But, she is aware of Ethan’s proclivities. So, I assume that she had some hidden desires that she hadn’t admitted to herself. Either way, she is definitely drawn to Ethan and agrees to submit to him despite her reservations.

In the midst of their developing relationship, Kiki begins reading letters written by Nicole – a previous inhabitant of Ethan’s home, Curtis House. In the letters, Nicole details her relationship with Javier Curtis – a man who is just as dominant as Ethan. The courses of both relationships are remarkably similar, hinging around Javier and Ethan’s reluctance to admit that they are in love.

Nicole and Javier died tragically after an argument. Because of their unresolved issues, neither soul is at rest. Both seems to be trapped in Curtis House, but trapped separately – unable to connect with each other. Eventually, Kiki and Ethan decide that they must try and reconnect the ghostly lovers. I admit that because I am not a huge fan of ghost-type plots, I found this portion of the story a bit beyond my scale of believability. However, I enjoyed the story so much that this seemed like a minor distraction for me. After all, I was just as interested in the fate of Javier and Nicole – and I can mostly accept that this resolution came about via an erotic seance fueled by ghostly possessions.

Overall, I found this story quite riveting. I was caught up in Ethan and Kiki’s story as well as Nicole and Javier’s from the start. I couldn’t wait to find out where the stories were heading. Fortunately, I didn’t find the BDSM aspects of the sexual relationships too hardcore. There was a scene involving a cage and a couple involving hot was. Yet, there was still a romantic feel to all of the sex scenes – rather than a stern, sado-masochistic feel. I thought the BDSM elements were very well done.

I can’t wait to read The Art of Desire, and am definitely looking forward to Amber’s menage story as well.